(Among Friends first gained steam as a homemade, independent zine, and then as a free podcast. It is still free to listen to, download and share.)
or 
The book is what I like to call the "extended" version of the zine & podcast. It's 150% the advice of the original, with added features like book recommendations, a resource section and space for personal reflection.
Preview:
Friday, March 12, 2010 at 10:29AM "I mean, I'm not really at a point in my life where I would get in a big fight with you...because you're calling or texting me too much...and I can't answer because I'm dancing."
-- Larry on why he can't "relate" to "Telephone"
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 1:54PM if you've clicked around on this site you've probably seen the line in my bio that states, "in 2010, i am focusing on infusing my life with persistence and gratutitude." persistence has always been a problem of mine--i want to do everything, learn every language, climb e'ery mountain, but i know there isn't enough time for me to do nearly any of those things, so in my brain, getting really excited about one thing and then doing it for, you know, a while...is often enough before moving on to the next exciting thing.
i am also just beginning to truly grasp the reality of the concept of practice; as in, practice makes perfect--or, as syd's old karate dojo used to teach, practice makes permanent. it's embarrassing to admit that it took me twenty-some odd years to really believe in it (even more embarrassing that it took the sims 3 to drill it home -- wait, so if i read a book about gardening and then spend five hours fertilizing my plants, i'll get even better at gardening!!!), but it's all part of this quarter-life renaissance that i've been undergoing so thoroughly lately, so i'm running with it.
anyway, i got this ukulele last month and i refuse to let it collect dust. by no means do i claim to be great at it but MAN OH MAN do i really love playing. the above video is made of scraps from the past month. the madonna bit was really late at night and i'd been trying to figure out the song for a couple hours, so i was a pony (you know, A LITTLE HOARSE).
p.s. oh also, i signed up for a formspring account today. there are about eight hundred ways to contact me on the internet already, and i'm a tad wary of encouraging anonymous questions since anonymity can bring out the uglies in people, but if'n you want to ask me a question, and you're a nice egg, please go ahead.
~
ETA: YOU GUYS, MY BIGGEST FAN!!
some sweet fan mail
thank you grandma!!! do you have any requests? i tried to learn "mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys" a few weeks ago but it was a little much at the time. maybe i'll try it again.
Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 11:13PM So, Angelina and I formed a cabaret duo...
We pretty much stick to the classics.
Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 10:37PM In the spirit of my post about Conan the other day, I wanted to make a little video that pays tribute to all the people who support You Are Among Friends. After the book started selling in December, this adorable trend started to emerge of people posting photos of themselves holding their books, and obviously I can't get enough of it.
I hope that when a person reads the book, he or she feels like an important part of a community, one that's smart and positive, because that community exists, and I've seen it through all of you over the past couple years. All the people who bought books for sisters and cousins and daughters last Christmas, and all the people who say hi or thank you, everyone who bought the zine or downloaded the podcast or put up a link or e-mailed your friends: thank you. I do not say that enough. But it's unbelievable to me every single day how positive and kind the response to the project has been.
Like it sez in the book's afterword: "This is for you. You made it happen. It would not exist without you, because it is you."
I love y'all.
ETA: OH YEAH, AND! I have a code for 10% off the book, in case you've been waiting for the perfect time to strike (when you could get, uh, 10% off of $9.99...you deal hound, you) -- through January 31st, enter READMORE2010 at checkout. Unless you have not yet donated at least $9.99 to relief efforts in Haiti, in which case I would merely like to suggest that you use your cash that way first: hopeforhaitinow.org.
Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 10:58AM
To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I’ll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — it’s my least favorite quality, and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.
--Conan O'Brien's last words as host of The Tonight Show.
Conan himself made sure to mention multiple times in his last week hosting The Tonight Show that nobody should waste too much energy worrying about the late-night drama of the past few weeks, since there are much more deserving and tragic events happening as we speak (donate money to relief efforts in Haiti here), and I agree with him, so I won't spent a long time on this. But I have to say that his farewell speech--and the above part especially--really tore me up.
I can think of very few celebrities who would choose the high road when put in the position Conan was in last night--scrappy David versus the evil lumbering giant of NBC. He knew that he had the majority of an entire generation rooting for him, and he knew how many eyes would be on him. He could have gone out in a blaze of self-serving piss and vinegar, and millions of fans would have cheered along. But he didn't.
Not only did he publicly defend NBC, but he humbly and genuinely thanked them for the opportunities they gave him. He didn't have to do that. He didn't have to clarify to his millions of viewers that the "revenge" sketches of the past week--sports cars paired with Rolling Stones songs, purportedly costing NBC millions of dollars in royalties--weren't real. And when he had a chance to speak to us directly, he cried a little, and then he told us (and "particularly the young people") to work hard, to be kind, and to fight against becoming cynical.
I agree with Conan that too much attention has been paid to this whole debacle in the media, in a time when there are actually devastating events happening simultaneously, but I have the utmost respect for him for taking the influence he had last night and using it so honorably. I'd been prepared to cry at his last show because I'm a sap who has watched him since '93, but I hadn't expected to cry at how humble, dignified and positive he was in his last moments as the host of The Tonight Show. Pretty incredible.
Conan O'Brien, Farewell, Speech, The Tonight Show, VIdeo in Words 
